Our Philosophy
For the ancient Greeks, hospitality was a sacred duty. Their word for hospitality, philoxenia, translates to “love of strangers.” In the mythologies of many cultures, gods often appeared at the door as mere mortals, and so, every traveler was treated like a friend and royalty.
The Gathering at Prospect
Prospect Lake Park opened as a picnic ground during the nation’s centennial year of 1876. People would gather from all around by horse and carriage to attend the nation's newest fun and fabulous activity, picnicking. The Cliff House was built upon a lakeside knoll, providing a scenic residence for the owners, as well as a small tavern with rented rooms for guests. Following a succession of ownership by local families, the park was purchased in 1958 and expanded into a campground.
Now, in its newest iteration, the property continues as a gathering place. It holds the memory of over a century of generations eating, dancing, and being in communion with one another and nature.
The Gathering at Prospect
Prospect Lake Park opened as a picnic ground during the nation’s centennial year of 1876. People would gather from all around by horse and carriage to attend the nation's newest fun and fabulous activity, picnicking. The Cliff House was built upon a lakeside knoll, providing a scenic residence for the owners, as well as a small tavern with rented rooms for guests. Following a succession of ownership by local families, the park was purchased in 1958 and expanded into a campground.
Now, in its newest iteration, the property continues as a gathering place. It holds the memory of over a century of generations eating, dancing, and being in communion with one another and nature.
Our Inspiration
The Berkshires have been home to some of the nation’s most famous writers: Herman Melville, Emily Dickinson, W.E.B. Du Bois, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and many more.
The Transcendentalists, a group of philosophers and writers in the region in the 1800s, believed that immersion in nature is a way for individuals to find themselves and their place in the world. They explored themes of self-reliance, simplicity, the beauty of nature and its power to help us toward our “right life,” and they valued companionship and community.
Our Inspiration
The Berkshires have been home to some of the nation’s most famous writers: Herman Melville, Emily Dickinson, W.E.B. Du Bois, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and many more.
The Transcendentalists, a group of philosophers and writers in the region in the 1800s, believed that immersion in nature is a way for individuals to find themselves and their place in the world. They explored themes of self-reliance, simplicity, the beauty of nature and its power to help us toward our “right life,” and they valued companionship and community.
The Berkshires
Places to for visiting, eating and shopping.